1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to infotainment systems for use in vehicles, and, more particularly, to video monitors for use in vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many vehicles, such as cars, trucks, vans and recreational vehicles (RVs) are equipped with an infotainment (entertainment/information) system having a video monitor or screen capable of playing video infotainment content. These infotainment systems typically include a head unit mounted in the dashboard and a video screen mounted on the ceiling of the vehicle. The video screen is electronically coupled to the head unit and is adapted to display images of video infotainment content played by the head unit. Some systems include multiple video screens, such as separate video screens mounted in the headrest of each of the front seats and viewable by the passengers in the rear of the vehicle. Each of these video screens is configured to display identical images. That is, each screen plays a same, single stream of video infotainment content which is transmitted to the screens by the head unit. The head unit may retrieve the video infotainment content from a storage medium, such as a DVD, or may receive the video infotainment content via air-borne signals, such as from a television broadcast, for example.
Although these systems have made vehicle travel more pleasant for passengers, in some cases passengers may not agree on which infotainment content to view. For instance, one passenger may want to watch one DVD, while another passenger may prefer to watch a different DVD. In these cases, it would be beneficial to have a system that would allow passengers to simultaneously enjoy different infotainment content.
In other cases, passengers may desire to watch the same infotainment content. In this case, rather than each passenger watching the video content on separate small screens, it would be beneficial if the passengers could each enjoy such video content on a screen that is larger than can be provided by each of the monitors individually.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a more flexible vehicle infotainment system that enables two passengers to select whether to watch different video content on different screens or to watch the same video content on a larger screen.